The Christmas House

Written by Bakersfield Magazine

For many in Bakersfield, the holiday season didn’t truly begin until they had driven by the Hopple’s house. Loading the family into the station wagon and cruising down Elm Street to view the festively-decorated home was as much a tradition as picking out a Christmas tree or roasting chestnuts. And we all know how important roasted chestnuts are to the holidays…or were.

Still, the reason the Hopple house became such a part of Bakersfield Christmas lore is because Ed and Cathie Hopple were, perhaps, the first to take decorating to an extreme. Never mind the lights in Haggin Oaks, or the ones around the country clubs, Ed Hopple started it all in 1969 by decorating one of the large trees in his front yard. Just one.

As the years went on, Hopple continued to add to the décor. After making a toy box for his kids that looked like a giant rubix cube, his wife suggested that he put it on the roof as part of the decorations each Christmas. A few years later, a giant candy cane became a regular part of the landscape; then, a massive teddy bear which would stare out the bay window. And let’s not forget the carol singers.

Hopple admitted he wanted to add more and more to please the veritable parade of cars and trucks that drove by during the evening, just hoping to get a dose of seasonal cheer. And when the carloads of children and busloads of senior citizens began showing up, he knew he had to keep upping the ante. Hopple did that by having a group of friends help him hang so many lights that, at one point, they had over 150 extension cords around his house.

And if you’re wondering just how much the Hopple house meant to the community back then, consider this: the Post Office would bring the Hopples letters written by children addressed to the “Christmas House on Elm.” Perhaps the kids were enchanted by the free candy canes…or by Santa Claus, who would regularly make appearances.

When Hopple sold the house in 1996, the only caveat Ed had was that for at least the first Christmas, the buyer had to set up the decorations. He knew that people counted on that rush of holiday merriment—they needed that holiday high. We still do.

Article appeared in our 27-5 Issue - December 2010